All year I dream of the days of May
when the sun is warm, the sky is blue, the grass is green, and the garden is all new again!

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Tuesday, June 19, 2007

What To Do With Leftover Flowers... And Send Rain!

We got enough rain today to wash the dust off my umbrella, not nearly enough to catch up from what is being called a "moderate drought".

The only plants not really suffering are those in containers, because I water them every evening. When I water the containers in the back, my little toad seems to show up and I give him a good shower of water, because I want him to be happy and stay and eat bugs. Up around my patio is one of the only places around for him to not dry out like a lizard right now.

Sometimes I wonder why I water the plants in the containers when throughout the garden there are shrubs, perennials, and trees that thirst for a long drink of water.

I've given up on the grass. It is now officially dormant so I won't worry about it until it starts to rain again. They've lifted the voluntary ban today on watering lawns and we are back to the even - odd system. Tomorrow will be an even day, my day to water, so I'll give the vegetable garden a good soaking, and also water some of the trees and maybe set up some soaker hoses around some of the shrubs and perennials.

In the meantime, isn't that a pretty geranium with variegated foliage? I'm too lazy to look at the tag to tell you the variety. It's down there in the pot. It was one of the last plants planted in the containers, and ended up in what I generally call the 'leftover' container with a mis-match of plants that just didn't end up being used any place else. Do you have a 'leftover' container of plants at your house?

See the whole container? If you saw it in person, what would you say to the gardener who put those flowers together? "Hmmm... interesting choices".

You can look all over the Internet at sites that show different combinations for container planting, and I guarantee you won't find that particular combination. It's one of a kind!

Now, back to the subject of rain... today's rain was just a teaser, not enough rain to make a difference.

But there is hope! The weatherman says we might get rain on Friday, maybe Saturday morning. I'll take it, any time. In the meantime, I am going to do all I possibly can do to get it to rain, like get my car washed, leave all my umbrellas at home, put something in the yard that I absolutely, positively do not want to get wet, participate in the neighborhood garage sale on Saturday, stuff like that.

Do you have any other ideas to conjure up rain? We really need some as you can see from the picture below.

Warning... the picture below is pretty sad looking and may cause some gardeners to spontaneously weep... My viburnum cries for rain!

Of your various rain-inducing choices, leaving something outside that absolutely positively cannot get wet is the best. I've used that one tons of times with great success. Just not on purpose. I suggest a delivery of 35 bags of concrete. That's a sure-fire winner. I speak from experience. Anyone need 35 bag-shaped concrete bricks? Free, u-haul. ~A :-)

We have been having torrential rain most nights...wish I could send you some! I too always fill a pot with leftovers...it always breaks all the colour combination rules but often turns out the best looking pot of the year!

How much water would it take to cheer up the viburnum? A bucketful? I get anxious when we go too long without rain. Most things get along okay, but the vegetables need it more often. What do they say, an inch a week? We have a nice, gentle rain this morning which feels like it might be a day-long rain. You might try hanging a lot of clothes on the line. Pretty much guarantees a downpour. :

After a month with no appreciable rain we had a series of thunderstorms blow through yesterday. The rain was much needed, but the force with which it fell, not so much.

Seeing as you're in a drought, you may want to start using your grey water for the plants. Think of the water that goes down the drain when you're waiting for hot water at the tap... It takes some getting used to, but capturing just a bit of your "waste" water can make a difference. Put a bucket in the shower, you may not fill it, but it's certainly enough for that poor vibernum.

Silly Carol. It is The Rule that red geraniums must go into a container with a spiky dracaena in the middle! :)Your poor viburnum! I'm guessing it's first in line for a good soaking when it's your turn to water.

Oh my your viburnum looks so sad, they do like their nice long drinks, don't they? It is dry here but not quite that dry. We have a chance of rain tomorrow, so I will try to send it on your way if we get any!

Your geraniums are pretty, so nice to keep the toads happy I love seeing them in the flower beds and vegetable garden.

Love that variegated geranium! I have 'leftover' containers as well, and since it is soaring into the 90's here today, I will be clearing out my greenhouse and putting together a few more. I think yours looks quite pretty!

My toad used to take a nightly bath in the catch pot of the serrano pepper container.

Your viburnum looks so sad. When we were going through the great Marin County drought of 1990-91, we were on water rationing. The household was allowed to use 50 gallons of water per person per day, we had 4 people. I promise you that is not a lot of water.

We had a "rain barrel" set up behind the washing machine, and whenever we did laundry we collected all the water in that barrel. It had a sump pump in it, with a hose that snaked out the back door. When the barrel started getting full, we used that gray water for the fuchsia gardens, the rose gardens, the herb gardens, the wisteria, the vegetable garden. It never hurt any of the plants, and saved those gardens.

Now, if you want to cheer up a bit, I know it is after GBBD, but I posted a gallery of photos I took around the place yesterday and today of the beautiful day lilies that are going on right now.

All... thanks for the suggestions on how to get it to rain, and on using 'gray' water. I did water this evening, and the viburnums were first on the list to get a good soaking. I'm anxious to see what they look like in the morning. Until we get more rain, all my watering is concentrated on the trees, shrubs, perennials and vegetable garden.

Molly... I guess I broke the rule for planting geraniums! I don't think I bought any "spikes" this year but I've planted them in containers in the past, I will admit.

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